Two Against The World
by TheGoldLily
Summary: There's no knowing the lengths that one would go to in order to protect their only family. (Apocalypse AU story, will add a better summary after a few chapters. Reviews are deeply appreciated!)
1. Prologue

**_Hello everyone! Once again, it's been a while, hasn't it? I've gotten used to saying that around here, which is kind of sad now that I think about it.. bUT, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things here and decided to hold off on the revamp of my other stories, and instead post up a FF of a rather big storyline that a friend and I have developed between Barry and Moira Burton! I don't see anything about them around here, which is fucking surprising seeing as dad and daughter relationships, ESPECIALLY repaired ones, tend to be loved and kept near and dear to the hearts of many people on this site. People just don't seem to pay attention to the fact that the two patched up their relationship after the island, so I'm here to fix that shit- but not with this story, this one IS going to be about them, but it's NOT going to have many light-hearted moments._**

 ** _I will warn, after this chapter there will be a lot of sad moments, as well as gore and other things. There may be some disturbing scenes as well. This story has been in development for about a year and a half, and it's inspired by quite a few things but to hint at what kind of story it will be.. Think TLOU.. yeah, it's gonna be a little brutal, so I'm hoping you guys will enjoy it._**

 ** _Oh and, you will notice that I have Moira in the BSAA and specializing in survival tactics, that is because I think she'd look towards them after Terra Save was left in shambles and her fear of firearms has been conquered. I'll write more about it in separate things in the future. You can imagine how much Barry fussed at that one, eh?_**

 ** _BTW, cover photo belongs to me, you can even see so on Devart: MoiraBurtz_**

* * *

 _Piling stones to guide the seas,  
_ _All to say we stopped the tide, but we..  
_ _We never did.. **Did we?**_

* * *

 _Tick-tock.. tick-tock.. tick-tock.._

To Moira, the loudest noise in the entire room was the ticking of the clock's hands. It drowned out every other sound that attempted to boom over it, becoming the only thing she could really focus on while her mind raced through a thousand thoughts. To her, this happened to be a normal thing she did before any sort of mission. She would focus on the most irrelevant yet somewhat _peaceful_ sound, then let her mind go through the dreadfully nagging thoughts that ate away at her nerves. All to try to soothe them while waiting for the time to go.

This line of work- no, this _life_ had never been easy on her or her family, and this mission only proves that fact. As a sudden virus started to infect the city, her mother Kathy and her sister Polly were one of the first few to be infected. Lucky for them, it was a slow strain that could be treated and (with time) cured if people managed to catch on early. Then after the virus has been cleaned out, they could return to their families and the safety of their homes. The only problem is they were both sent to separate facilities to be quarantined, both in the more ravenous areas of infection that were harder to reach. An evacuation would have to take place if anything went south.

 _And as far as Moira knew.._

 _Things went as south as they could possibly go._

Just an hour beforehand, calls for rescues and evacuations from both sites were made. Accidents had taken place, patient conditions rapidly declined, incidents started to occur one by one until the situation began spiraling out of control. So this meant teams needed to be sent out for rescue, and of course, Barry demanded that he would be a part of the teams sent to the areas of his family. Chris objected to his demands at first, saying he needed the man to stay where he was and that he had to wait to do anything. After the old man started threatening to _abandon_ his own post to go out there himself, however, they finally changed their minds. Knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to get to both of them in time, Moira soon joined in on those demands. She offered to help the team sent to Polly's quarantine zone while Barry would go to Kathy's. It would be a better idea for the two to split up, find the other two family members, and join back up as soon as they could.

This decision didn't sit well with the older Burton at all, but they didn't have much of a choice, time was running out and they couldn't afford to waste any of it. Besides..

 **I can do this.. _right?_**

That thought echoed, repeating itself as it weighed heavy in her mind. She's nervous, though as stubborn as she is, she'll _never_ admit to being so. She didn't think of it until then, but she knew that if she made even the slightest mistake, they may never see her sister again. Her eyes widened at that sudden realization, but before she could dive further into her fearsome imagination, a hand patted at her shoulder to bring her back from her train of thought. She immediately stood from her seat when she glanced up to see Barry standing there, looking just as ready to go as she was.

"Transports are almost ready, everyone's suited up." Barry uttered, then signaled for her to follow him back the way he came. "This is supposed to be quick; run through the building, grab any survivors left that you can find, then get to the rooftop. Evac will be there waiting." He gave a short explanation while they walked side by side, to which Moira nodded in response. She knew the drill by now, having been in the survival tactics side of things. The process of rescuing survivors was very familiar to the younger Burton, and the older knew that, but being as nervous as Moira was at the current moment, Barry couldn't stop himself from repeating it in wording.

The small explanation was soon followed by a tense silence, both Burtons clearly anxious about being able to succeed in the task of finding their loved ones. Moira a little more-so than Barry. Sure, she had experience in search and rescue, but this is her first time rescuing a family member. Her sister to be exact, along with a countless number of lives on top of that. And then there's Barry, having to go out to find his wife, the woman who stood by him through thick and thin and always managed to make the best of a bad situation.

Both of them couldn't bare the thought of possibly failing in this task, they'd never be able to forgive themselves if they let that happen. Hell, Moira wouldn't even allow herself to show her face around her loved ones if she failed.

"..Are you _sure_ you're **ready** for this?" Once the two stood in front of the doors of the helipad, Barry stopped her from opening the door. "I can always get Rebecca to go instead, or I could go on my own, you know I'm still built like a tank. You don't _have_ to go through with this." He offered, though he knew the answer to the question. As tempting as it was to sit this one out, no matter how anxious she could be, she wasn't going to back down. She'd do anything for her little sister, even if that meant running through a completely infested hospital to find her.

"It's tempting, but **_no_**." She spoke with a suddenly stern tone of voice. "I'm not gonna fucking sit back and relax while you're out there looking for them. They're _my_ family too, dad." She gave the exact response he expected her to give. He should've known not to expect anything less than pure determination from a fellow Burton. You don't make a Burton back down once they've decided upon something, they're all as stubborn as a mule, and Moira was no exception to that rule, and that fact made him beam with pride.

"It's not like we haven't had to do this shit before, right?" What she said then shouldn't have been said, but it was the sad truth. From Raccoon City to the island incident that happened just over a year ago, this sort of thing has become rather normal for the family. They could never truly catch a break.

"When you put it like that, our life sounds just goddamn _thrilling._ " He couldn't stop himself from making that comment, but it managed to get a single chuckle out of his daughter anyway. "But okay, you remember the floor Polly's room was on?"

"Sixth floor, room 243." She replied along with another simple nod, she already memorized those little details a week ago when she went with her father to see how Polly was doing at the facility. "How could I forget? You were saying the number over and over like a fucking broken record when we visited."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Just wait until _you_ have kids, then you'll know how I feel when you two get in trouble."

"Oh, that'll be the fucking day, huh? Maybe I'll start trying on fancy dresses and shit like that too, mom did always try to make me be more _girly_." This caused them both to let out a much needed laugh.

Their laughter stopped, however, when they heard a knock on the door in front of them. The two teams were finally ready to go and a teammate was informing them that they needed to leave in a few minutes. Moira proceeded to walk through the door after acknowledging that fact, soon followed by Barry. The winds from the helicopters hit them as soon as they walked outside, but only the young woman raised a hand to shield her eyes from it. Barry had gotten used to the feeling of the strong winds a long time ago, and needed only to squint his eyes and bent his head down as they drew closer to the helipad. Years of being in the air force will get a person used to such a feeling.

"You _better_ get back in one piece, baby!" He shouted over the noise of the helicopter blades when they reached the two helipads. "-And get my **other** baby home and _safe_ , do you hear me?"

"I heard you loud and clear. I _promise_." Despite being so nervous about her response, she granted him a single promise, to get Polly home **safe and sound**. She'll be as determined as ever to keep that small promise, so long as it means her family would be back together. "You know I will as long as you promise the same."

"Good girl, see you when we meet back up."

And with a short hug and a small kiss to the top of Moira's head, they left each other's side to join their respective teams, unprepared for the new hell that waited for them when they would return.

* * *

 _ **I may have rushed the ending a little, but I'm still getting used to this fanfic thing, been in the RP game way too long! I hope you enjoyed the prologue, because we're getting right into some shit in the next chapter. Until next time! -Lily**_


	2. Chapter 1: Four Becomes Two

**_There were a thousand ways to start off this first chapter, and I had such a hard time trying to figure out how simply because I miss RPING this verse.. but I finally decided it would be best to start it how it was originally plotted between my writing partner and I. Hope you all enjoy it._**

* * *

Moira

* * *

A foot stepped off the helicopter and on to the heli-pad, followed by a single tear drop that fell from Moira's face. She tried so hard to hold in the tears that threatened to spill, to hide her sorrow until she deemed it suitable to let them go, but one lone droplet managed to slip it's way out. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to hold in the inevitable stream of tears, she left the large platform in a hurry, aiming to go straight to the shower stalls.

Some spoke to her about how she should have left the rooftop with pride, with a tired yet hopeful demeanor, she helped save _lives_ didn't she? But no, not a single ounce of pride had been evident in the young woman's features because she left that helicopter pad _alone_. Nobody followed in her footsteps, when her sister should have been right beside her safe and sound. Instead, she's walking by herself, almost in tears, her mind racing with thoughts of what happened. The shock of it all was enough to convinced her it was only a nightmare, perhaps some cruel trick played by the world's worst prankster.

 _Oh, but it **wasn't**._

Her sister is _gone_. There's absolutely nothing she nor anyone could do about it.

As she stepped out of the shower, that thought made her heart drop to the depths. Her hands pulled her uniform's hoodie up, then balled to near white-knuckled fists and shoved themselves into the pockets of her jacket. She could have done something, but she took too long to _do_ that something, resulting in such a horrible demise. She failed to save her best friend, the only person she stepped on that helicopter for, all the other people she helped didn't matter to her at all now so long as that stayed a fact.

"Burton!" A soldier called to her from the hallway ahead of her. "Your father's waiting for you in the lobby-" The man stuttered once she stopped walking to glance up to him. The teary-eyed look on her face caught him off guard, stopping him from completing his sentence, but judging from the fact that she was alone, he had a hint as to why she didn't look so well. "..Tissues are to the right before you get there." She didn't give him any response as she then brushed past him with her head hung low. That small encounter had caused another heart wrenching thought to pop up in her head, _how on earth would she be able to explain this to her parents_?

Moira made a promise to bring her sister back safe.

She **_broke_** that promise.

The young woman did her best to push that thought out of her head, picking up the pace to get to the lobby where her parents were supposed to be waiting for her. She passed right by the tissues, the only thing she needed to wipe her own brimming tears away were the sleeves of her jacket. She halted her pace to take a moment to do just that, she needed to take a breath just to be able to hold her composure and figure out _how_ to say what she **needed** to say. Absolutely nothing could prepare anyone for having to explain something like this to their own parents, but a few moments of contemplation could give them enough to at least find out where to begin.

She pulled a hand out of her jacket to run it over her face, then took one more deep breath before pushing the door open. She fully expected both of her parents to be in there waiting.

But only her father stood from his seat.

* * *

Barry, 15 minutes prior.

* * *

 _ **Why aren't they letting me see my girls?**_

Barry had been waiting for what felt like hours, pacing back and forth around the lobby to try to prevent succumbing to his own dreadful grief. He wanted so badly to be able to have his wife by his side to endure this anticipation, but the sad truth is; she was long gone. She couldn't be saved, and although he tried so hard to focus solely on reuniting with their children, the thought of her always crept back. This created a constant sting in his eyes as well as a terrible never ending ache in his heart, one that he would never forget for as long as he lived.

How he wished he could have just one more hug, one more kiss or maybe even another _'I love you'_ , it could even be brief. To him it does not matter, so long as he could have one more moment. But that's not a possibility, instead death decided that their time together was over, he'd never be able to see her again, except perhaps in his dreams if he could ever manage to fall asleep again.

His beautiful wife is dead and gone.

And now he's waiting to break that tragic news to his little girls.

He needed to see them, to know they hadn't left this world as well (or even worse; on the _brink of death_ ). However, no matter how hard he pushed forward, how loud he'd yell, or how much he tried.. Nobody would let him go through that set of doors to see his daughters, who he now considered to be two of the only ties left to this world. Everyone, despite not knowing it, forced him to be by his lonesome, left him to his own devices to think about what was going on. He felt _immense_ anger (and worry) as he wondered just why he wasn't allowed to go back there, yet he still waited, pacing a hole in the rug.

 _Maybe they need time?_

 **Do they already know what happened?**

 _ **What the hell is taking them so long?!**_

"Sir." A voice caused him to freeze up. "They will be here shortly, I'm sure. Please take a-" He slowly moved his head towards the source of the voice, revealing an unusual scowl mixed with a _'Say another word, I **dare** you'_ sort of look. The person visibly gulped, clearly taken by surprise before they sat back down in their own seat. It's _rare_ to see the old man with that type look on his face. Normally he gives a welcoming vibe to nearly every person he met, though today he couldn't begin to muster anything close to that. Who could blame him after what he just endured?

A shaky sigh left his mouth as he let both hands comb through his hair. He then walked to the chair closest to the door, letting himself rest on it while his mind ran through every thought, every possibility of what could be happening. He refused to think about talking to Moira and Polly about Kathy's demise until he knew they were safe. During the beginning of an inevitable mental break down, he failed to notice that someone was standing just outside that door.

As soon as he heard it move, he shot up from his seat and for a single moment he locked eyes with his eldest daughter; _Moira_.

"..Baby?" Something's off, something he couldn't identify. Could it be the tears around her eyes? He barely had the time to register them before he met the impact of a tight hug, her face digging into his shoulder. He's almost shocked, not by the hug, but by the fact that she sounded like she's about to _cry_. He, of course, returned the hug with his own. Lord knows he needed it, but why did she need it? Did someone truly tell his kids before he could?

Then he noticed what seemed so off; Only **one** of his children walked through that door, and by that time Moira noticed that her mother didn't join their embrace.

They both immediately had an idea of what happened to the rest of their family.

 ** _Oh no.._**

"Dad, oh god.." Moira broke their silence after a few sniffles. "Where's Mom? _Where is she_?" Speaking through sniffles, she desperately demanded to know where her mother was, the sorrow in her voice no longer hidden. She couldn't hold anything back now and the sight of that caused Barry's heart to drop. He hugged a little tighter, trying so hard to keep his composure. His emotions quickly betrayed him, a sob escaping from his throat.

"Wh-What happened to Polly?" He countered.

"You first.." She threw back. It became very clear that neither of them wanted to say a single word about the other members of the Burton family, so Barry reluctantly stepped up to the plate. If someone had to start talking, it would be him.

"I don't know how to explain this to you, Moira.." More like he didn't want to, he didn't think he had the strength to do so without falling to his knees. Despite this, he knew he had no other choice. He gently pushed her back to arms length, his hands almost trembling on her shoulders.

" _-But I guess I have to start.._ "

* * *

 _"..By the time we arrived to the facility, it'd already been destroyed by the infection. We searched floor after floor after floor, we couldn't find anyone left alive to bring back or even tell us how it happened. Near the bottom floor, the team tried to get me to pull back, but I pressed forward on my own terms. Told them to go on up to the helicopter and wait. They tried so hard to tell me that Kathy may not have survived the initial attacks, but I ignored every single attempt at warning me._

 _I knew she was alive, she **had** to be alive._

 _My stubborn ignorance led me to walking just outside the door of, what I remembered to be, her hospital room. With each step I took, I could hear a growling sound that got louder and louder as I got close. I stupidly ignored it, in complete denial of what was an obvious warning sign of the sight behind that door._

 _Before I knew it, something- some **one** jumped out from the room's observation window._

 _"Kathy!" I yelled in surprise, immediately recognizing the form that hungrily crawled on the floor in front of me. She had the same face as Kathy, the same body, same hair but I thought that it wasn't her, it shouldn't be her, it **couldn't** be her. As soon as I reached for it, the infected reached up in an attempt to get a grip on me, I was too stunned to even try to get my gun out, and soon I was pinned to the floor by.. her._

 _I tried to resist, but instinct took over, one hand keeping her head away from me as I reached for my gun.._

 _And I.. and I.._

 ** _*Bang Bang Bang*_**

 _I had to end her life.._

 _Next thing I see is your mother's laying beside me. She was clearly in the late stages of infection before it took over completely. Her neck mangled up by a severe bite.. and a bullet wound in her forehead.._

 _The way her face appeared haunts me.._

 _I couldn't believe my eyes, it had to be a nightmare, right? No, instead it was one horrible nightmare come to life.._

 _A nightmare I would never be able to wake up from.."_

* * *

"I'm.. I'm _sorry_ , baby.." Finally, his tears broke through the barricades he set up, leaving him a crying mess infront of his own daughter. "I was too late.. there was nothing I could do." His voice turned quiet and crackled every two words. It was a miracle that he lasted through the entire explanation without falling to the floor, much less could be said about the remaining Burton sister..

".. No.. S-She.." She was on the brink of tears once again. "She fucking can't be.." Her own voice filled with denial, but before she could even start to cry, her father interrupted her.

"Please, Moira I _need_ to know.." He kept her at arm's length, one shaking hand raising up to wipe away a tear that started to fall. "What happened to Polly?"

That dreaded question left him, and she raised her head to look at him with eyes full of grief. Oh no, he's asking her to return the favor. It took every fiber of her being not to tremble and fall, faced with the responsibility of telling him what she saw, especially after hearing what happened to Kathy. She can't refuse to tell him, but she wanted so badly to pass question this on to someone else.

If it was anyone else, she'd have run off, but we're talking about telling a father the news of his dead daughter. He deserved to know, just as much as Moira deserved to know about Kathy.

She breathed deeply, then shook as she let that breath out.

".. _Okay._ "

* * *

 _"God, it was a slice of a fucking Hell in there.. but I ignored protocol, just like you, when we couldn't find her for the longest time. I told the rest of the team to shove their protocols and orders up their fucking asses, take the rest of the survivors back up to the chopper, and wait for us there._

 ** _My fucking mistake._**

 _The next floor down, and I hear screams from the next hall over. I rushed to the entryway and down the hall I could see a **familiar** woman struggling to keep an infected off of her. In a flash I took my pistol out, aimed straight for the head of the infected.._

 ** _*Click click*_**

 _The barrel was empty, and I **panicked** , and while clutching for my ammo an ear piercing scream filled my ears. So __I made a run for it, slamming my shoulder into the infected's side right after it ripped a piece of skin out of the woman's neck. A quick reload of my firearm, and it was down in a flash.. but when I looked towards the woman, I saw a familiar face.  
_

 _That woman turned out to be Polly, hands pushing down on her neck and her face curling in pain. Fuck, I was in denial.. I still ignored any orders she gave, I told her we could fix this, there had to be a way to fix it, right? I pulled her up, letting her lean on me while I carried her down the hall.. She pressed on like a champ, filled with a false hope that maybe they could treat the virus before she could turn._

 _It wasn't until the last set of stairs that she fell to the floor.._

 _Dad.. she **begged** me to shoot her.. told me that she was in too much pain, that she couldn't take it much longer. I tried with all my might to get her back up, but I looked down and saw how bad she was getting, her tears streaming down her face. She had to be in what I could only describe as absolute misery.. seeing that, I sobbed, I cried to her in return not to give up.._

 _But she urged the gun into my hands.. Too scared to do it herself, she continued to plea for the end of her pain.. T_ _hen I pulled the trigger.. and they had to drag me away from that hospital along with her body.."_

* * *

Unlike her father, Moira didn't last after retelling that horrible memory, her knees trembled underneath her weight, and seemingly so did Barry's. They both fell into a sorrowful embrace, on the floor with their tears falling to a puddle on the floor. Their arms tightly knitted around each other, both wishing that this was all just a dream.

But no, the other two Burtons are now dead, four has since become two.

And their family has been ripped apart..

 _ **They're gone.. they're gone..**_

* * *

 ** _Well that fucking took long enough, Jesus that was a ride to write. Hope you guys enjoyed this angsty chapter that's going to be one of the many heart wrenching ones to come. Also, apologies for it taking so long, you all know how writer's block gets to me.. xD_**


	3. Chapter 2: We're Still Here

_**And here's the next chapter years later because I am still a lazy little shit, but couldn't let this story slip out of my grasp. I've got a lot in store for all of you and it's just beginning, there's been a lot of jumping around but this chapter starts to really get into some meaty stuff. Hope you all enjoy and leave a review if you want to.**_

* * *

 **One week later**

* * *

Moira's slumber ended the same way it did each night for the past week, with the gunshot of a horrid death still ringing in her ears. Her eyes opened and quickly met the darkly lit interior of the temporary dorm, a small apartment provided by the BSAA to those who lost their homes because of the attacks. She's no longer in that infested hospital, sitting beside her sister's dead body in a pool of her blood, crying, begging, _pleading_ for Polly's life. It was just one hell of a memory packed into a nightmare, one she wished from the bottom of her heart that it was only a nightmare and nothing more than that, unfortunately she couldn't have such luck.

Instead, both her and Barry are waking up each morning filled with the sorrow of a lost family.

It's been a week since that horrible first incident and nothing's gotten better for the world. After the first attack, a string of them started happening around the country, some even crossing the borders to others. The situation couldn't be contained and therefore the world is slowly paying for it, there's no real way to stop such a disaster no matter how hard anyone could try. All control over this hell has been lost, so it could only manifest into something worse later on.

A few people considered that possible painful future, then decided that those who have been brought to the BSAA and their dorms be allowed to rightfully mourn those who lost their lives in the past week with a memorial.

She took a few moments to adjust to her surroundings, then let out a tired, hefty sigh as she pushed herself to sit on the edge of the bed. Her head shook once, both hands reached up to rub away any remaining tears on her face, only to let her hands fall when she recognized the sound of a loud yawn.

"Morning." Barry's gruff voice greeted her. She looked up to nod in response and watched him take a seat next to her. Of course, it isn't a surprise to her that he'd be awake long before she could ever be, but a glance at his face told her it was for different reasons. Hair and beard were both messy and really disheveled, the areas around his eyes had tiny hints of dark blue around them from lack of sleep. All in all, he just looked plain worn out. Despite that, he still managed to wrap an arm around his little girl's shoulders then give them a comforting squeeze, already taking a gander at what plagued her sleep.

"Same uh.. same dream?"

"..Yeah."

"I take it you don't wanna talk about it?"

"Again? No. Maybe.. maybe later."

"..Hold still." Barry mumbled a command before he used his free hand to thumb away the tears that she missed, brush her hair out of her face, then went on to plant a kiss on the top of her head. Still being the doting father he's always been, he couldn't help himself but do his best to help her feel better. "You've had a really rough night, huh?"

"I could ask you the same question." She nodded again, this time toward his appearance. Anything to keep the conversation away from the subject of her dream. "Did you even fucking sleep? You look like shit."

"You don't look so good yourself." He shot back. He reached a hand up to flatten some of her short bed hair then ruffle it up some more. The young woman, being too exhausted to care, could only wince in turn.

"At least I slept, did you?"

"I got a few hours in." He proceeded to answer her question with an attempted lie, but the look on Moira's face showed she could see right through that bold-faced lie.

"Really? You're gonna tell me that when you look like some drug addict?"

"I _tried_ to, smartass.." The truth was muttered in a grumbled tone. In all honesty, he turned into a borderline insomniac after what happened. He couldn't sleep, not because of nightmares, but because he didn't have his wife at his side. He'd been married for so long that he became an absolute restless mess without her. He tossed, he turned, he tried every sleeping position he could. Nothing could help him fall asleep save for exhaustion pushing him into an hour long nap.

"Did you try taking anything? You needed some damn sleep before the me-"

"I'll be _fine_. You know your old man's built like a tank, I can survive a night or two without sleep." He cut her off abruptly, which brought on a scoff from his daughter. "What? You know it's true." His voice carried a more defensive tone at that moment. She knew he'd probably shrug off her worries, no use in fighting the stubborn man for now. Rolling her eyes, she pushed herself to stand up from the bed and headed to the dorm room's 'kitchen' to fetch a glass of water.

It wasn't a big dorm, though it did have the necessities. A _small_ kitchen, two beds, TV, bathroom with only a shower and toilet, etc. It did the job.

"..What time are we supposed to head out?" She waited to ask until after he stood up to turn the TV on and switch it to the news station.

"Claire's supposed to meet us here in about an hour. We'll go after that." He sat on the edge of his own bed while lifting his gaze from the screen to Moira. "If you want to take a shower before she gets here, you have time."

"You sure you don't wanna go first?" She looked pointedly at his appearance. He quickly waved her question off, insisting she go in first. "Fine, fine. I'll go." She gave in, making her way to her suitcase on the side of her bed. She grabbed her toothbrush, shampoo, and a set of clothes before she made her way to the bathroom for a shower.

Left to his lonesome for probably more than a few minutes, Barry took the chance to go look out the tiny window of the dorm. The Burtons managed to get a room a few floors above the centre courtyard, where the memorial was supposed to take place. Looking down, he could see multiple people going through, some setting up frames, flowers, and such, others stopping to talk or hug, and a select few walking on with their heads hanging low. To think a few weeks ago these people were all probably enjoying their lives with their families, their significant other, brothers and sisters alike, it brought on a grim feeling. He and Moira were both living somewhat normal lives with their family just before this all started, everyone happy and content at last.

Everything had finally clicked back into place for the Burtons.. then, as their bad luck would have it, it all came tumbling down. This time, _for good_.

But, for the life of him, he was determined not to _completely_ crumble under the pressure. He only had a few ties left to this world as it stood, his remaining daughter being the most important one of all. He refused to let himself go while she was still in the world.

Lost in thought, thirty minutes had passed and a knock could be heard from the front door, coaxing him out of his deep train of thought. Bare feet padded the carpet as he went to answer the door, revealing the youngest Redfield sibling standing behind it. Greetings and hugs were shared with each other. Barry ushered her in and soon Moira strolled out of the bathroom with her usual attire. She didn't see any reason to really dress up, nor did she have the means to, leaving her wearing her leather jacket, a pair of blue jeans, and a normal t-shirt. After a few brief words and a hug between Moira and Claire, they then started getting ready for the day to come.

* * *

Time flew by until the moment they entered the courtyard. The lights were dimmed, the skylight above darkened by the billows of clouds in the sky, letting the candles in the room be the only real source of light. Volunteers were going throughout the crowd of people to give out candles and flowers, Claire, Moira, and Barry, regardless of their personal religious views, each took the lit candles when they were offered to them and stood in their spots in silence. Moira, after a second's thought, split off to go to someone offering flowers, gratefully taking two of them to place under Polly and Kathy's names. She didn't waste any time getting over to the giant list of plated names on the temporary altar, however she did wait patiently for a couple in front to gather themselves after crying in each other's arms.

A glance at the plate below her family's told her they were most likely mourning their lost child, in the candle light she could see a little girl's name was displayed with her age underneath Polly's. Once they regained their composure, they moved to the side, apologizing for the hold up. She excused them with a whispered 'it's okay', she didn't dare blame them for breaking down like that, she knew first hand what that felt like. Sure, unlike them she didn't know how it felt to lose a child, but she still knew what loss felt like.

With nothing in her way now, she walked up to the two names of her mother and sister. Her hands fidgeted as she bent down to place the two flowers among all the others already laying there. What a tragic thing it was to see their names on display along with the many other names printed out on the memorial, the tons of flowers representing merely a small portion of the lives lost in this attack.

She could only ball her fists to hold back the urge to cry each time she looked back at Polly and Kathy's names. She couldn't stand looking at them for more than a few seconds, though when a large hand gently squeezed her shoulder, she found herself able to relax a little. She didn't have to look up to find out that Barry had followed her with the same intentions, shortly accompanied by Claire, who had come to pay her respects as well as put another flower down for the two lost Burtons.

Barry stayed silent for a few moments, eyes staring at his lost wife and daughter's names with a somber expression, full of regret and sorrow. He tried so hard not to let himself bawl more than he had in the five days leading up to this one, a single tear barely managed to escape the threshold. He took in a heavy breath, dropped the two flowers he brought himself down on top of Claire and Moira's, then went on to pull Moira in close for a hug. He figured she could have used one in order to keep her composure, but in reality, he probably needed it more to maintain his own.

"I'm sorry, baby.." He mumbled under his breath, resting his chin on top of her head while his eyes stayed locked on the sight in front of him. She in turn gently grasped the arm that hugged her close and lightly squeezed it. Never before would Barry have thought he'd be standing here, in a place like this. Hell, why would a father think of that sort of reality? He thought for sure his family would survive something like this. Burtons always survived.. but this time around, luck was just not in their favor.

"You did what you could." Claire spoke for Moira, seeing her father figure attempt to hold in his tears along with her best friend, it _hurt_. She set her hands on both of their shoulders to offer what little comfort she could. The Burton family was just as much of a family to her as she and her brother, and that sight was a heart wrenching one to behold. "You _both_ did.. That's all they would have wanted."

They finished paying their respects, proceeding to shuffle each other to the crowd standing near the podium, where a priest was meant to share a speech for the dead, followed shortly by Chris.

Neither Burton could really pay any attention to his attempt at a consoling speech. These days, the eldest Redfield wasn't the best at consoling people, so Moira and Barry didn't listen to much of what he had to say. They were off in their own little world with their memories, and stayed that way until they were walking out of the court yard. Most of the people left earlier to go and clean up or try to calm down, but there were still a few that stuck around.

Claire made sure to stay behind to help tidy things up afterwards, telling Moira and Barry to go back to their dorms early and that she would catch up to them in a few minutes. So that they did, or.. attempted to do. Their silent walk was interrupted by an intern, who obviously didn't know when to leave someone be, rushing over with a clipboard.

"Oh my god, I found both of you! Communications are out tonight- Okay.." They stopped short in their tracks, Moira nearly shooting daggers with her glare while Barry raised a suspicious brow. "I was ordered to give you your schedules for the next week, mandatory deployment is at eight hundred hours-"

" _Mandatory_ ** _deployment_**?" Barry almost yelled. A glare suddenly formed on his features, the thought of being separated from his now only child, following the events of the past week, made him immediately tense. "No way, no how-"

"Do you know who the fuck made that order?" Moira questioned their messenger. Her arm reached out to temporarily stop her father from blowing a fuse on the poor small-sized intern. After all, this wasn't the guy's fault.

"I did." A voice spoke up. Barry and Moira turned their heads, the intern scampering away before they find Chris standing there. He had an unusual, near emotion-less gaze on his features, boots thudding against the tile floors with each step he took towards them. "We need every team we can get out there."

"We barely have any fucking teams to begin with, are you insane?" The older man marched the remaining distance up to the younger, resisting the urge to get up in his face. He didn't want to start a fight, he still considered Chris a part of his family, but that thought was hanging on by a thread.

"We have volunteers willing to form more." The sudden approach Barry took didn't phase Chris in the slightest. It was almost like he knew how his reaction would be the moment the movement was announced.

"So what, you're just gonna send these people out there while they're still grieving? With _no_ training?"

"Yes, we don't have a choice." Chris knew good and well that he was treading on a lot of thin ice with this, but to them, he didn't seem to care that much anymore. Hell, he didn't even look like himself anymore. "We're running out of options here, I believe you were just told when to-"

"Bullshit, we don't have options. _You_ don't think shit through." Barry interjected, which, judging from the surprised look on his face, took Chris back a little bit. It's not easy having a father figure tell you off, however, in a split second it seemed to not have an impact on him. He'd made up his mind, he didn't care to change it because he thought he could see it through. He's too consumed by his determination to see that this choice could create more chaos, bringing on even more loss than before, all until nothing was left behind.

"I don't have _time_ to think it through, it has to work."

"I can tell you it's not going to, and besides that I'm not letting you throw my little girl further into this mess." The eldest Burton started to develop a low tone, at the risk of sounding like the over-protective father he tends to be.

"We have to stop this before shit hits the fan, and your _little girl_ knew what to expect when she signed up-" Right as Chris started to edge closer and try to initiate a stand off, Moira completely cut him off.

"Shit's already hit the fucking fan! It's _covered_ the damn thing! Don't you get it?" She moved to push them away from each other. It took a little bit of effort to get them two feet apart from each other, she successfully managed to keep them apart for a minute or two. The two men glared between her and each other, but she still stood between them, intent on keeping them at arm's length. "The world's been fucked a new asshole by shitheads that don't go down the first goddamn time and all you can think about is throwing more people into that?!"

"It's for the benefit of the rest of the world, it's going to get worse out there." The tone the eldest Redfield used made it evident that his anger was about to slip out of his control.

"Oho, yeah, it'll get a hell of a lot _worse_ if you ship innocent people out. How is that a benefit?" Barry raised his voice over both Moira and Chris, he would have gotten right back in his face if Moira wasn't standing before him. Her arms outstretched further to keep them at bay. "You're blinded by this shit, _Chris_." He added in. Unfortunately, he recognized that empty sort of look on Chris' face, he knew it when he saw it, a man so lost in the fight that he couldn't make any rational decision whatsoever. This is not the same man he knew back in STARS, far from it.

"I'm not gonna stand here and be judged by you two." Chris suddenly lashed out. "I don't have a damn choice!" He harshly shoved Moira away from him, he didn't realize how much strength he put into that, resulting in Moira falling straight to the floor in a dazed state. Just in time for Claire to be making her way to the dorm, the Redfield sister rushed to her best friend's aid. She could hear the fighting from down the hall, but didn't expect to see the three of them at each other's throats like that. A look of surprise displayed itself on her features upon seeing that her brother initiated things against the two Burtons.

That definitely knocked the wind out of the young Burton, that's for sure.

..And also pissed off the eldest.

"That's it, you piece of shit." Barry nearly launched himself at Chris, a well aimed right hook delivered to his opponent's nose and quickly went to deliver another. Blood sprayed from the younger man's nose following the second hit to his face. Barry couldn't help it, he may be able to keep himself composed at many trying times, but the moment someone touches his daughter, the bear gets woken up.

However, the fight was yet again stopped before it had the chance to escalate further. Moira swiftly moved to pull Barry off of Chris after the second blow, while Claire shoved her brother away from their father-figure. If looks could kill, the look on Claire's face could have sent Chris six feet under in that instant.

"Have you lost your mind? You don't fight **_family_**." She huffed out in the angriest tone she could ever achieve. Now it was Claire's turn to stand in the middle of the fight, her gaze switched between the two fighters. "Now, I don't care how this started, but it better _stop_. Get back to your dorms and calm down. We don't have time for this." She mustered a growl with the last few words she said. A sign that the others should listen to her, or else. It's not a good idea to cross the Redfield sister, even if you're her family.

"..Come on, dad." Moira kept her hand on Barry's upper arm, attempting to drag him away from this encounter. He didn't budge for the longest time, feet planted firmly where he stood. He stayed put in order to send Chris a scorn-filled glare, showing the new feeling of disdain he had for him. First, he wouldn't let Barry get his family to safety as soon as he wanted to ( resulting in their deaths ), and now he pulls this..

The string that was their father-son bond has cut itself loose, leaving behind hatred in it's wake. He shook his head when he pulled himself out of his trance, only then letting Moira guide him away from this mess. He remained stuck in his train of thought the whole walk to their dorm room.

Only one thought kept crossing his mind

 _We have to leave._

* * *

 ** _Well! That was something! I sincerely apologize for this taking so damn long! I don't know what's up with me.. but oh well. Next chapter's getting into more juicy bits so stay tuned, friends!_**


	4. Chapter 3: Onto You

_**GUESS WHO'S BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER FINALLY? Not me, nope, idk who we're talking about. There's no chapter here- kidding but anyway seeing as I live all the way in the south and I'm trying my damndest not to think about what might be coming this way in the form of a hurricane, I'm here with another chapter finally. The next one I plan on releasing tomorrow if I can, enjoy!**_

 _ **Also I guess the only explanation I have for not updating as much as I wish ( other than real life issues being a big thing ) is.. well, it's not getting much of a response. I'm obviously gonna keep it going, I've worked so hard on the plot and such that honestly I'll be damned if I let it go! Just would be nice if I could know if you like it ( only if you want to that is )!**_

 _ **Anyway, hope you're all having a lovely day and once again, enjoy the chapter because shit's about to go down after this.**_

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"What the hell were you thinking?" Moira waited until the moment she closed the door and hung up her jacket before turning to her dad to give him a scowl, to which he sighed at, then sat at the small dinner table in the room. He had calmed down a decent amount during their walk back to the dorm, but even so, every time he thought back to what just happened, he could feel a little bit of anger ( ..and regret ) come back into play.

"I wasn't." The old man gruffed. He knew he made a mistake, he lost full control over his actions, emotions took the wheel, and he ended up going for blood. Part of him knew Chris absolutely had it coming, the man showed no remorse over his decisions, then hurt Barry's remaining daughter. However, it didn't take away the fact that he was once his family. The Redfields were always considered to be a part of the Burton family, they were practically his kids. He helped them out, gave them a home when they had nowhere to go. They were his family, but the look Chris had just a few minutes ago..

That was not Chris, that was the look of a man who was too far gone to be saved.

For a split second, Moira wanted to scream at her father, she would have done so if she didn't care about disturbing the possibly grieving families in the dorms around them. She had to take them into consideration, so she let out a heavy breath and lifted a hand to run it over her face, a little moment of silence was what she needed to compose herself.

"Not saying he didn't deserve it, he was being a grade A dick.. but you were about to smash his face in, dad."

"I know, believe me I didn't want to do that, but when he pulled that little stunt, after all the crap he's done this month.. I lost it." Barry went to run a hand through his hair, only to stop when he noticed the blood splatters and bruising on his knuckles. Moira, when she took notice as well, grabbed the first aid kit next to the door before sitting down at the seat across from him.

"Put your hands on the table." She ordered. He tried to say he didn't need it, but was met with a simple 'uh uh', a hand patting the surface in front of them. He complied with a huff, placing both bloodied hands on the table, he let her get to work on cleaning the blood up.

"Do you know what the fuck kind of trouble you could've gotten us into just now?"

"Do I need to mention all the trouble you got into for sucker punching someone in a bar?" Barry countered, managing to get a snort out of her, then her features grew serious once again.

"That was different, those were all drunk dickheads that wouldn't leave me the fuck alone." She sent him a small glare, then turned to throw the dirtied cotton balls into the garbage behind her. She shook her head at him as her hand reached for the gauze in the medical kit to wrap his knuckles with. There was no need for stitching, the small wounds would heal on their own. "The guy you almost smashed into a wall happens to be able to throw us out into the horde without anyone batting a fucking eyelash."

"He won't do that, okay? We'll be gone long before he or anybody else tries that.."

Moira froze up hearing that, just as she was finishing the gauze wrapping.

Did she hear that right?

"Wait, you're telling me you want us to leave?"

"I know how it sounds.. But if he keeps making these decisions, we won't have much of a choice."

"How do you think that's gonna work out?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing from him. Did her father just go completely batshit too? There's no way he's thinking straight, right? "We don't have anywhere to fucking go and more than half the world's gone down the fucking shitter. Do you even have a plan-"

" **I'm working on it**." He interrupted with a raised voice, his patience wearing a little thin. "Listen, we can't stay here while he's running the damn show, got it? He'll bring everyone else down with him."

"Not with Claire around." She denied, then quickly finished what she had been doing, cut off the end of the gauze and put the roll back into the kit. "She can convince him to find another way, she always does."

"You know she won't be able snap him out of it this time, Moira."

"But maybe she can-"

"She **can't**." He snapped this time, catching Moira off guard. He could see the surprise in her eyes as she froze up once again while trying to put everything else back. That look in her eyes made him stop for a moment, then he brought his voice back down to it's normal level. "He's dead set on this. You saw that look on his face, and you know damn good and well the new higher ups are gonna keep encouraging him to do it." He hated to be the one to break this to Moira, but she had to face the fact that even the young Redfield sibling can't get through to Chris anymore. He won't listen to the voice of reason at all, talking him out of it would be a lost cause at this point. "So long as he's in charge, it's only going to get worse, we have to leave before it does."

"Then where the fuck are we gonna go? Have you even thought that far into it?"

"As I said, I'm working on it. I need more time to think." He propped his elbows onto the table and placed his chin over his bandaged hands. "There's a few bunkers up north that we can head for."

"So you're thinking we're gonna keep going from bunker to bunker for the rest of our lives, like some sort of road trip?" She gave him a judging look, raising a brow at him in question. Although she loved taking road trips before this all started, she didn't find the thought of constantly being on the road to be pleasant. "There's no way we can live like that."

"That's not what I'm saying, once we settle into one, we can plan out what we do next- look, I told you I need some time to think this through."

"Whatever.." She let out another heavy breath to help ease her frustration. "You'll have enough time to think today while I'm out." The young woman stood up from her seat suddenly and headed straight to where she hung up her jacket. Barry's expression quickly changed to one of confusion.

"And just where are you going?"

"To see if Claire needs help in the med ward building, she said she'd be taking care of a few people in there." She snatched her jacket from the hanger, shoving her arms into the sleeves, shrugging the rest of it onto her shoulders.

"..Fine, go on ahead." He nodded, getting up from his own seat. He would have made an attempt to stop her from going out, however, her stubborn will would have that all come back to bite him in the ass. He wanted so much to say something though, however grown up she may be, she's still his little girl, and because of recent events unfolding, he couldn't help but to have the instinct to be a little more over-protective than usual. "-Just as long as Chris or any of his.. new 'friends' aren't anywhere near you two. Watch your back out there, I don't trust them."

"Dad, I'll be fine."

"I mean it, Moira. _Please._ "

"I said, I'll be fine." She unzipped and reached into her left jacket pocket to show her hidden switchblade, which ( as of recent ) she learned to keep on her person for her own protection. "I can take care of myself, I've done it before. You just stay in here, I'll be back in two hours." Before he could say anything further, she zipped the pocket back up and grabbed the small bag she kept by the door, then hurried out. She needed to get out of there, to get some fresh air and a clearer head..

..And maybe light up a cigarette.

Actually, that's exactly what she's gonna do before she meets up with Claire.

Now, mind you, she's never been much of a smoker, never got into the whole drug fad either ( quite against it, to be honest with you ). She drank a bit more than her family would like, but nothing else. However, she needed a bit of stress relief, and she was sure she wouldn't be able to find a single ounce of fireball in this compound, she also doesn't think anyone would like it if they heard her take a bat to the trashcan nearest the exit.

That's where her bag came in. She wouldn't normally bring it if she would only be meeting up with her friend, but she just so happened to keep a small pack of cigs in there for moments like these. As she walked, a quick look inside her bag told her that her father still hadn't found it, still almost full and remained untouched since the last time she brought them out. Which, as she recalled, must've been ages ago, way before this ever started.

She finally reached the exit, feeling a ton of weight lift off of her shoulders when she took the first step out. She glanced around the front of the building to see if anyone was paying any attention, only to see that the area was empty. She would have found it odd to not see anyone, but she dismissed it when she noticed the distinct sound of children playing from a block away. Hearing such noise had her lips forming a tiny grin, happy to know at least someone decided to make light of a dark situation like this.

With nobody around her, she walked over to the outer corner of the building, then took out one of the cigarettes and a small lighter. She put the cigarette in between her lips, and for a split second she hesitated, wondering what would happen if her father followed her down. She knew he wouldn't do anything about it or get angry, hell the last time he caught her with one he just took it away and made a joke about judging him for his smoking problem. Yet, she still hesitated, almost put off after seeing how mad he was earlier..

"Ah, fuck it. I need this." Her shoulders shrugged and her thumb flicked over the lighter in order to ignite the flame. Once the smoke had been lit, she stowed the lighter away, then proceeded to take a deep drag from the smoke. A cough tried to make it's way out in the process when she felt the burning sensation at the back of her throat, but she held it off like a champ, letting out a puff of smoke from her lungs when she pulled the light away from her lips.

Her plan all along was to try to do some of her own thinking, to contemplate the situation at hand. She tried to think of any way this could end without them having to leave like her father was planning to. They can't just go, there's no way they could just..

Well, she did spend those long seven-eight months in a hellish infested island..

She shook her head in an attempt to derail that thought process, moving on to the next one.

Maybe they could come up with a way to settle things down, perhaps let Barry and Chris form a truce and actually let everyone think things through.. She tried to look further into that and reach for any possible way that could go to plan, any ideas she could grasp just to make it work. Once she considered how stubborn the two men were, as well as how foolish the new higher ups seemed to be, she ditched the idea.

Thinking of the higher ups being foolish, she squinted while putting the cigarette to her lips again.

 _What did dad say about them earlier?_ She pondered. _Oh, that's right. He didn't trust them._

The young woman let out another puff of smoke as her head tilted to gaze at the ground she stood on, her hand absently flicking the ash off the end of the cig. She had a feeling her father had a very good reason for not being so trusting, seeing as Chris' batshit decisions only got worse when a select few new people were hired to guide him. They didn't seem to have any sort of ulterior motive in their suggestions and rulings, a few of them were a little on the weird side, but from what she remembered of them they were nice.. but then again, so was a certain somebody before he had revealed he was following in Morgan's footsteps..

Her train of thought stopped as she heard several footsteps coming from down the street. She pulled her head up to see, only to find the group of children going to the stairs followed by a woman clad in green and white, the kids all collectively sighing disappointedly, as if forced to stop their games. Once she looked to the back of the crowd of kids, her suspicions were confirmed by the lady's face, which was turned into a scowl.

Oh, she recognized this one, a natural kill joy by the name of Jade Dolus. She's among the newest people hired as a higher up, an advisor of technological weaponry. She had been relatively nice to Moira the few times they met, however sometimes she acted a little too strict for her own good.. and unfortunately, she had been one of the ones who had this weird, almost dangerous vibe to them, a vibe the young Burton just couldn't shake whenever she saw the woman.

Moira wished like hell that she didn't get that vibe as soon as she caught sight of Jade, but with her dad acting how he did earlier.. she couldn't help it.

"Hey, Dolus! What the hell?" Moira stepped up after quickly stomping her cigarette out on the ground. "Those kids were having fun out here. What's the big deal?"

"Curfew has been issued for children under the age of 18, that's the big deal, Burton." The older woman countered in a hostile, accusatory tone that grew with each sentence she spoke, her high heels stopping in place so she could talk to Moira. "Adults have the same curfew rules in about an hour. You would know this if you actually read the schedule you were given.." She paused, her scowl replaced by a smug look on her face. "..Or were you and your father too busy beating poor Redfield's face into a bloody pulp?"

"..What?" Moira was taken back by the sudden hostility that the adviser showed. Naturally, this caused her defense to go on high alert. "Are you kidding me? That was nothing-"

"Now now, calm down, his sister told me what actually happened." The voice Jade used turned into a formal one in a heart beat, which allowed Moira to let out a tiny breath, but it didn't bring all the relief that one could hope for. "You should really keep a leash on that attack dog of yours."

"You can't really leash a _bear_ , they'll tear the collar off." Moira shot back in a vain attempt to lighten the dark mood of the conversation. "Is Chris still in the med ward? I need to help Claire.. but something tells me I shouldn't go near her damn brother any time soon."

"Well, from what I hear, Redfield hasn't taken that whole endeavor too kindly. Your father gave him quite the shiner, broke his nose too." Jade leaned against the stone railing on the steps, head tilted to the side with a look of concern on her features. Moira could only squint at such an action, almost as if she could see the truth behind such a false look. Remember that vibe Moira was feeling? It's getting a whole lot stronger with each word this girl says. "I wouldn't go straight to his darling sister so soon if I were you, unless you want to get locked up.."

"..The fuck do you mean?" The young Burton asked, voice laced with confusion at the other's statement. "Claire wouldn't send me away like that."

"It's not Claire that I would be worried about sending you away."

"That still doesn't answer my fucking question."

"Doesn't matter. All I can tell you is that you should watch your back around here, and to be more kind to that captain.. you know how _unstable_ he's been lately." Jade stood up straight on her high heels, reaching one hand to her back to pat away any dirt from the railing. "Sorry to cut this short, but I need to make my rounds. _Somebody_ has to make sure the remaining technology is running properly, we're not back in the stone age yet." She let one joke slip past the threshold as she stepped up to the doorway. "You should probably get going and do whatever you need to do out of your dorm. Curfew is near.. Au Revoir."

With that, Jade Dolus disappeared into the building, but the creepy vibe still lingered in the air.

That look she gave, that tone, that.. everything. Moira didn't know what exactly set the alarms off in her head, but she sure as hell didn't like it.

She decided to ditch her plans on helping out after the weird conversation she just had. It's definitely a warning of something to come, she needed to get to her father before anything else can happen.

She waited for a minute or two to go by, then went back into the building, her brain set on going back up to her dorm. She knew now what her father had felt about Chris' newest friends on the job, she had to at least warn Barry of what was to come, whatever that thing could be.

However, that plan failed before she could execute it. Just as she reached the stairs that lead to the lobby, two cadets were at the top of the stairwell to greet her.. with a pair of handcuffs.

"What the-"

"You're under arrest." One of them spoke. The other yanked at her arms in an attempt to put them behind her back. In an instant, she managed to pull her arms out of their hands, turning around to face them only for one of them to shove her face first against the wall.

"For-fucking-what?!" She nearly screamed, her head turned to see what they were doing, once the cadet noticed, he lifted a hand to pin her head against the wall. "The fuck did _I_ do?" She did her best to keep resisting, desperately trying to wiggle her way out of the man's now vice-grip, but to no avail.

"For aiding in the unprovoked assault of a captain." One spoke, while the other looked at the clipboard he held in his hands, then started giving orders to the one putting Moira in handcuffs. "You get this one in the cells downstairs, I'll get the other."

"But you don't understand, I didn't touch-" The moment she tried to retaliate, she caught sight of the butt of a handgun pointed at her face, then everything went black.


	5. Chapter 4: Escape

**( I know what you're all thinking; Damn Lily, back at it again with the late chapter. BUT! I have a rather lengthy one cooked up and ready for you all to read right here! Though I give a warning; There are possibly triggering things like panic attacks and the like, so if you don't like reading those things, do not be afraid to click out of here! For those that stay; please enjoy this chapter. I know my descriptions are lame, but I do hope you enjoy the story anyway! )**

* * *

It came as a surprise to the two other 'officers' that once they had arrived at the Burtons' temporary dorm, Barry had answered the door somewhat calmly and had done as told with little reluctance when they explained. They thought he would put up even more of a fight than his daughter, however, the most he did was glare at the two every chance he could as they cuffed him ( Mind you, he DID feel the need to punch them, but wasn't mad enough to do it.. yet ). The only reason he acted as such ( other than the fact that the men had nothing to do with how Chris acted ) was that he thought Moira had actually gone to help Claire with the medical unit, that she was safe around the youngest Redfield and that they'd finalize their plans of escape when this blew over.

Boy, has he ever been so wrong in his life.

The compound they stayed in had been built up from an old prison that had the old style, side by side barred cells. They only kept one of the cell blocks of course, just incase they had unruly soldiers or, god forbid, caught yet another damn spy in the BSAA.

Now?

It was being temporarily used for those who kicked up any fights within the safe zone to separate the opponents until they calmed down.. though in Barry's ( and Moira's ) case, it was so Chris could decide what to do with him. Thankfully, there were only a few fights that broke out since the place became a sanctuary, so Barry only expected one or two people within the cells.

What he didn't expect to see, while walking to his designated place of confinement, was a very familiar woman unconscious on the ground with her hands cuffed behind her back. One that had very short hair, who always wore a leather jacket and military boots and 'didn't give a damn about what anyone had to say about all three'.

Upon seeing those, he immediately recognized the woman as his daughter.

His blood instantly started boiling.

"-Why the hell is she here?" Barry's voice boomed, worry and anger growing stronger in his tone, which frightened the men who kept him restrained. "Why is she on the damn floor, what did you do to her?!" He started struggling out of their grasps then, only to be shoved into the cell next to Moira's. He scrambled to his feet, pushing himself off the ground with his own elbows and his boots desperately digging into the floor to try and get to the closing door ( or more specifically, the guards ).

He just managed to slam into the door the moment it locked into place.

"What the fuck did you do to her?!" He kicked at the door repeatedly, stopping when he didn't hear an answer just to shout some more. "Tell me now, goddammit!"

"Calm down," One of the guards that sat in the back of the room spoke up. "She resisted arrest, we had to knock her out. She'll be up soon."

"Yeah, I didn't hit her that hard." The guard next to him added, earning a slap to the face from his partner.

"What are you, a damn 7th grade bully taking some other kid's toy away?"

"Does it matter? The bitch had it coming-" This brought on another slap to the face, which shut him up for good.

As you can probably imagine, this 'explanation' did little to soothe the anger boiling within the eldest Burton ( hearing that slap did bring a little satisfaction though ), but there was little he could do with his hands literally tied behind his back. Realizing this, he resorted to sitting down next to the wall between him and his daughter and..

Waiting.

Waiting for any signs of life from her other than breathing and the occasional wince.

He'd already scanned her over a dozen times for visible injuries, the biggest one being the large, unsightly bruising and swelling around her eye. He made a mental note to 'return the favor' to the guard she received that black eye from.

Other than that, she appeared okay. Her face looked more relaxed than it had in the past week. Somewhat peaceful, would be a good way to describe it, he guessed. She rarely ever slept peacefully, as he could recall her telling him sometime before this started, and he doubted their newfound hell helped any, so he had that to be thankful for at least. Her peace in turn brought his anger down gradually, he only let it do so when he realized something, he would need to be calm for her. Both a raging headache and an equally raging bull was never a good combo.

 _God, just how the hell did it come to this.._ he pondered to himself, letting out a sigh through his nostrils. Since he knew it would take a while, he rested his head on one of the bars that made up the barrier that separated him from one of his few remaining ties to this world. He shut his eyes tight, gritted his teeth, and as his anger dissipated, he started to silently wallow in his own grief once again.

* * *

Soon enough, Moira started to stir the tiniest bit, the first sign of that was her groaning as her eyes tried their hardest to open fully. Only one succeeded in doing so, the other only able to be half lidded though it hurt just to do that. When she couldn't get her vision to stop being blurry just by blinking, she tried to reach one hand up to rub at her eyelids..

But she soon found that she couldn't move her hands away from her back. At all.

That's when she became alert.

She started to struggle in her own restraints, and while her eyes were still blurry, she still frantically scanned her surroundings, taking in what she could.. stopping dead when she saw the rusty looking bars that caged her.

And that's when she started panicking.

Within an instant of seeing that detail, her eyes widened with a terrified look forming upon her features. She started breathing heavily and any voice that left her was already hoarse because of it. Her boots kicked and pushed at the ground in an attempt to get away from the cell bars until she hit the back wall. The impact sent a shock of sore pain through the back of her head and neck, sadly that wasn't enough to shake her out of this state. She ended up scooting herself along it, all the way into the corner where she kept pushing back at it, even if it refused to budge.

"..Moira? Moira!" Barry was already on high alert, ripped from his depressed state the instant Moira showed signs of waking up. Her reaction confused him more than it surprised him, but only for a brief moment, then something clicked inside his mind. He remembered what she confided in him one night, she'd woken up in a place like this.. only it was back at Sushestvovanie. She told him of the horrors she witnessed in that prison alone.

 _That must be where she thinks she is.._ He thought, _..back in that horrible shitpit._

"What's going on?" The now sole guard on duty stood from his spot in the back upon hearing the commotion. This one seemed to be one of the nicer ones, in fact if Barry hadn't been busy with the current situation, he would've acted friendly towards him, he could name him strictly from the work he's done as a medic. He's a good, kindhearted guy, rare to find these days. Lord only knows why he was assigned as a literal prison guard when he should have the task of helping people. "Is she okay?"

"She's got PTSD, she's having a damn attack." Barry answered, glancing over to the guard to see him standing at the doors. His own worried face managed to make the guard's eyes widen even more. Listen, when the ever stoic combat adviser and veteran is actually worried, that's cause for major concern. "Kevin, please, you have to let me in there, she could hurt herself!"

"I can't do anything, the guy with the key got called out. He didn't bother to leave it behind."

Kevin's response had Barry mumbling swears. His fatherly instincts switched into high gear, doing his best to crawl to the same corner she holed herself up in. He figured he couldn't do much from where he was ( or with his hands in cuffs ), but he had to do something to help her get through it and ground herself.

"Moira- baby, you're not where you think you are." He tried his best to keep a soothing tone to his voice in an attempt to get her attention. He knew damn good and well just one spoken sentence wouldn't snap her out of it like that, so he was persistent and patient. No amount of hatred/frustration towards the guards who triggered this would prevent him from helping her in any way he could.

She could swear she heard voices, but they were all distant, nearly over powered by the ringing in her ears.

"No, I can't be back here." She spoke in a volume that slowly went from a low whisper to a shout. "Nononono-"

She wanted so hard to deny the thought of being locked up once again. However, her head betrayed her with the mere memory of when she woke up in a similar way, in a cell such as the one she found herself in. Trapped.

"Please! I didn't do anything!" She cried out between the heaving breaths she took.

"Let me out! Let me go! Fuck!"

Actual tears started to fall from her eyes then, her feet stomping at the ground beneath her as she continued to struggle with her restraints. She kept at it for an entire five minutes, screaming as well as sobbing out for someone to set her free from the prison she thought she was in, completely oblivious to anything else in the room.

A single shout soon cut through her panic, it's deep sound familiar to her.

But.. but he wasn't..

Having driven herself to the point of exhaustion, she finally slowed down a little, her screams stopping for the moment though her breath still frantic. Her eyes went in search of the source.. until she noticed someone kneeling in the cell next to hers. They were looking straight at her, mouth moving as if to try and talk to her over the ringing that eventually died out in her ears.

"..-Moira, baby please!"

She blinked in confusion for a few moments at the tone she heard next, before realizing the person was none other than her father. She struggled to comprehend the fact that it was really him, she was almost in denial of that. Though, as she considered the thought, she finally took a real look at the things around her.

She started recognizing stuff bit by bit, like how the cells were placed differently, how the place was cleaner than the shithole she remembered the whole island to be, even how the floors were made of white tile instead of dark slabs of cement..

Or most importantly, how she could see the multiple BSAA logos strewn about.

Momentarily, the events that occurred leading up to when she got knocked out all came back. Her breathing didn't slow down quite yet, though she couldn't feel her heart beating in her ears. The harsh rate is still present against her rib-cage though.

Still, that was a great start.

"..Baby, if you can understand me, you need to breathe slowly. Can you look at me?" Barry spoke up through the sudden thick silence, having been quiet while she took some time to firmly plant herself back in reality. The whole event may have only been five or ten minutes, but for him it felt like a few heart wrenching hours, he even had some tears of his own forming. He never liked seeing his kids in any sort of distress, physically or mentally, it always broke his heart, so for her to start coming to was a godsend.

After taking a few moments to process everything, she responded by gazing up at him with tired eyes. The fear that etched itself into her features had already been washed away as she recalled what actually happened that lead her to this situation. It didn't make her feel that much better.. however, knowing she wasn't in that hell did help a lot.

"Good, good. Keep your eyes on me." Barry said softly, his expression turning gentle and reassuring despite the circumstances they found themselves in. "Now, breathe with me.." He demonstrated a slow inhale, along with an equally slow exhale. She followed suite, her own breathing hitching once or twice by a left over hiccup or sob. He was quick to catch that out of concern it would bring her back to step one, telling her it was okay and to keep using the exercises he showed.

"I.. I'm sorry, I-" Moira tried to speak once her breathing had regulated, only to interrupt herself with yet another hiccup. She shook her head at herself, pushing herself to try again. "I just.. just saw the bars and I fucking freaked-"

"It's alright." Barry already understood what she was getting at, making an attempt to get her mind off of it. Guilt had already started to build over the anger and frustration he previously felt, all because them being put in there was technically his doing. "It's not your fault, I landed us in here anyway.."

"..Yeah, for once, it's not me punching someone out." She let out a single, exhausted laugh. Then went on to speak with a hoarse whisper. "..But no, you did go overboard with it, but it's not your fault. He had it coming, y'know."

He made a move to speak, but before he could get a word out, the sound of keys shaking could be heard at the front of their cells. They turned their heads to find that same guard holding a cup in one hand, and a pill and a set of keys in the other, along with a sympathetic smile on his lips. He also had his medic bag hanging on his shoulder.

"Hey, Kev." Moira greeted him by name as he unlocked her cell door and walked on in. "..What's all this?"

"I saw the whole thing and ran to find the guy with the keys and get whatever anxiety med I could find." He explained himself, then saw Barry's look on his face upon seeing the pill he held. "It's a weak one, don't worry. It's not enough to make her sleep, but it's enough to stop it from reoccurring. It'll keep her calm, in other words."

"..Alright, we'll be counting on that." Barry huffed.

"Anyway, how are you feeling, ma'am?" Kevin brought out both a stethoscope and an otoscope to check her heart and eyes with ( to be on the safe side ). Barry was a little thankful he had the mind to check her black eye out as well.

"Better, I guess. My head's fucking killing me."

"That's kind of an expected thing to get after being hit in the head and then having a severe panic attack right after.." Going through the normal medical check up procedure, he told her to look at the finger he held up so he could test her eyes. Moira could tell he was itching to help somebody while cooped up in this place, so she complied without complaint. "..Speaking of, that was one of the worst I've seen, and I've witnessed some really shitty ones, I wish I could've gotten some stronger stuff for you."

"Shit, it's good, anything's fine. I honestly would've asked for some alcohol if I could." She joked, trying to bring some light to the dark situation.

"As a medical professional, I wouldn't have given it to you, but as a friend I could've been convinced. I do owe you a bit."

As they continued to banter on, Kevin finished up his examination. Although her eye appeared okay, it definitely needed time to heal. Other than that, she seemed just fine.

"..I imagine you can't let us out of these cuffs, huh?" Barry asked as Kevin went to give Moira the medication when he was putting his stuff back in the bag. He stopped then, placing the cup down next to her to take the keys and reach behind her.

"..Sadly, we got orders to keep you both in cuffs, but I'll let her take the medicine without them. You, on the other hand.." While uncuffing Moira's hands so she could take the pill on her own, he stopped talking to look pointedly at Barry, receiving a glare in return. "..I can't do anything other than keep your hands behind you. I'm sorry, sir, I wish I could do more. Redfield was adamant that both of you stay like that until he 'decides what to do with you'."

"He actually fucking said that?" Moira gawked in the middle of stretching her hands to wake them up a bit.

"Yeah, something like that.." Kevin nodded, inching the cup to Moira so she could hurry up and take the medicine. She obliged, taking a swig of water from it then swallowing the pill down her throat. "..It's getting pretty bad out there, the blockade they got going isn't holding up. I guess that's what's freaking him out right now."

"Trust me, he was already flipping his shit way before this, but.. Damn, that big thing was made to last."

"Well, obviously it's not lasting as long as it should." Kevin sighed out from where he had already sat down for their chat, yet kept the keys safely on his belt-loop just incase. It's not that he didn't trust them, he just didn't want to get in trouble if anyone saw him with the keys exposed inside the jail cell.

"And do they have the emergency walls up yet?" Barry questioned.

"They're working on it, that's what the other guy was called out for. They needed some help at the front."

"Shit, if they don't get that thing going.." Moira may have trailed off, but the others knew what she meant to say. The infected could crash right through the gates. If the walls didn't go up, with no way to evacuate everyone before that blockade blew open, everyone inside was surely screwed.

"..Alright, well I gotta get back to work before they find me in here. Moira, I apologize but-"

"Look, just go ahead and do it and get out of here before someone walks in. Be happy I don't want to get your ass in trouble." Moira stopped him mid-sentence, to which he responded with a shrug. He then grabbed both of her hands, cuffed them behind her back, and went to walk out of the cell. Off to his spot in the back he went after telling them good luck.

The two fell into a heavy silence after that, waiting for what the next few hours had in store for them.. or for whenever Chris chose what their punishment was.

* * *

Two hours later, the Burtons both sat upright when the blaring sound of the alarm hit their ears. By now, Kevin had already switched shifts with some other guards, one of whom bolted to investigate, while the other stayed just outside the closed door to keep watch. The terrified screams of who they could only assume to be civilians were heard next..

..Soon followed by the yelp of the guard as he struggled to get his gun from it's holster.

His efforts had gone to waste as the incoming infected tackled him straight to the ground.

At this, the two stood up at once, then walked to the edges of their cells to see what was going on. The sounds of the guard's pain echoed in from out the door, making both Moira and Barry wince, backing away a little out of caution despite the fact that they had literally nowhere to hide. They weren't even sure the bars would hold if a zombie found them.

How would they be able to fight it, for that matter?

"What the fuck are we gonna do?" Moira spoke low, her near-golden eyes anxious as she pulled them away from the door and to the direction of her father. Judging from the way his eyebrows furrowed, he was deep in thought, so she waited for a few moments to try to get his attention again. "You know we can't just stay in here."

Moira kept trying to get him to talk, but he stayed quiet, his own gaze switching between the lock on his own door, to the lock on her's. At first glance, the locks seemed to be sturdy enough to hold against a rampaging bull, but as he stepped closer to her's ( or, as close as he could without his shoving his head through the bars ), a further inspection revealed it had a lot of wear and tear to it. The only thing covering said damage being a thick layer of paint. It could still take a few strong hits to get it to open, but..

He's seen what Moira can do. She's a Burton, Burtons are tanks when they want to be.

"Bingo." Barry spoke out of the blue.

"What?" Moira questioned, "What do you mean by bingo, what are you thinking?"

"The lock on my door is brand new, but yours.." He tilted his head to her cell door. "..You might be able to get out with a few hits."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, go look at it."

"You gotta be kidding.." She went up to the door to see it for herself, even going so far as to poke her own head through to see the front of it. She would've been surprised by the piss poor job at maintenance for the lock, but she knew the renovators did a horrible job with this area of the compound, so it wasn't that big of a surprise. More of a let down by the staff who were supposed to keep this in better condition.

Whatever, it'll work in her favor.

"Shit, you're right. Look at this fucking thing. Weren't they supposed to be taking better care of this shit?"

"Well, obviously they-" A loud bang echoed throughout the room, making even Barry jump with how sudden it was, while Moira hurriedly yanked her head back through upon hearing the noise.

An infected managed to break through the door, almost sending it flying off it's hinges with the amount of force it used. The two didn't have more than a second to think of anything before it came barreling towards them, then slammed into the same door they were just talking about kicking down. One of it's nails dropped off to the side, it wasn't long before it would be breaking into Moira's cell.

Scratch that thought from a second ago, it will _not_ be working in her favor.. well, not in the way they originally expected. Barry had already thought of a plan B when that nail fell, he may be old, but he's still smart as a whip in intense situations like this. Although he didn't like the rashness of what his brain came up with ( he _**hated**_ putting his daughter in harm's way ), it was their only option at that point.

"Baby, get away from it." He urged, stepping to the wall that separated their cells.

"How?! It's gonna bust the fucking door down."

"Back off, it's about to-"

"I don't have that much space in here!"

"Just _**move**_!"

Without another question, she stepped to the side just in time for the door ( and the infected ) to fall to the ground.

"Now, back away from him, but get ready to jump at 'em." He ordered, getting ready to get his plan rolling. She wanted to voice her concerns about that last bit, but let it go as she backed up all the way to the other side of the cell, as far as she could go. The infected focused on her immediately, hungry and eager to have it's seemingly easy meal, it struggled to get up with it's hands slipping into the spaces in the door each time it attempted to push on it. The infected then tried to go in her direction, but a shout from Barry quickly garnered it's attention. To the infected, he appeared bigger, and _closer_ , so it made Barry it's new target.

"What's that, big ugly? Are you hungry? Come get your damn dinner." Barry tapped lightly at the metal in front of him with the tip of his boot, as if he were ringing a dinner bell. It snarled at him, pulling itself to the cell wall as it finally stood on it's feet with it's shoulders slouched. It reached for Barry with shaking hands going through the bars, not smart enough to notice the whole makeshift 'cage' protecting it's prey from becoming a delicious meal. He still taunted even when it came close, he only backed away a step while forming a stance to prepare for the move he'll make next. The moment it tried to put it's head through, he yelled to Moira. "Body slam him! Now!"

Moira, already having an idea of what her father wanted to do, had taken position at the other side of her cell. With her hands tied behind her back, there was only so much she could do to get ready for what she _had_ to do, but she aligned it as best as she could. When he gave the signal, she made sure to keep her head down, shoulder slightly pointed to the target as she collided with the infected, which forced it's head all the way into the tiny gap it already tried to go through. This rendered the monster stuck, considering the gap was a tad bit smaller than the ones at the front of the cell. Moira still kept her weight against the infected's back to ensure it would go nowhere, and both of them slid down until the infected was on it's knees, all the while Moira urged for Barry to hurry up and make his move.

Barry took only a few seconds to get ready before he raised his foot, then full on stomped on it's forehead as hard as he could. The zombie emitted a weak scream in response, so Barry prepared for another attack, but instead of aiming for the forehead, his foot raised a little higher and slammed the zombie's head to the ground. A sickening crackling sound hit their ears, blood splattering every which way. With the skull directly crushed and most, if not all, parts of the brain impacted and destroyed, the infected was silenced.

"Mother of shit.." Moira cursed under her breath as she moved away from the now _officially_ dead corpse of one of the guards. She stumbled whilst getting onto her feet, tripping a little before she could completely regain her balance.

Barry, not paying too much thought to the blood pooling at his own feet, gazed at Moira with concern etched into his features, worried she might've hit her head.

"You alright?"

"..I'm-I'm fine." Steadying herself after a shake of her head, she faced her father with a smartass reply. "It's just that it's not every damn day I have to go up against these shitheads in _handcuffs_."

"Point taken.."

Moira brought her focus to the sight between the two, and would've immediately turned to head out through the broken doorway if she hadn't spotted a certain, bloodstained key ring hanging from the corpse's belt loop. Hesitantly, she knelt down to get a closer look, her face brightening at her new discovery. The key ring just so happened to possess a set of handcuff keys.

"..Fuck yes, look what I found." She twisted her body to allow for her arms to reach for the key ring. Once the set was in her grasp, she hurriedly got to work on getting her hands freed.

"Nice work." Barry's eyes followed her movement to see their new glimmer of hope. As she fumbled with the keys to her own handcuff, he looked further down the man's belt loops in search of the cell's keys.. however, it seemed their luck only granted them the freedom to move their hands, not to escape. He had a feeling the guard that ran out to investigate had that other set, which meant Moira would have to venture off to find it if they couldn't kick the door down themselves. They did not need to do so to Moira's door due to the fact that it wasn't tended to properly and an infected bulldozed his way in, but Barry's won't be so simple without a way to unlock the door.

Moira stood the moment she freed her right hand, wasting no time in unlocking the other one just to throw the set of handcuffs to the side. Happy to be rid of her own restraints, she motioned for Barry to turn around before freeing his hands as well. Only after freeing him did she take a chance to stretch out her arms and take a glance at her surroundings, thinking of a way to accomplish her next task; finding their path out. She can't just leave her own father in there, so the next step would be to find their shit and get out.

"..Sit tight, I'm gonna see if I can find our damn stuff." The younger spoke while peering out from the hole where the cell door used to be. She took care not to make any noise with her boots as she walked out, scanning over the large room.

"Just, be careful." The older warned in a whisper, head tilting to the corpse on the ground. "If this ugly thing found us, there's bound to be more coming."

"Yeah yeah, I know, be quiet!" She waved a hand for him to shut his mouth before setting off to find their belongings.. Surprisingly enough, that wasn't hard to do. They weren't placed in a locker, nor anywhere secured, no she found them laying on a table at the far corner of the room. All she had to do was spot her familiar purple and black bag, and found everything else right next to it, her pack of smokes, her father's jacket, his phone and wallet as well as her own..

..Even the holster that contained her father's beloved handgun, accompanied by his knife, also in it's proper holster.

Checking the gun, she found out it wasn't loaded, but she could easily get some ammo if she needed to. For now, if anything were to happen, she would have to rely on her wits.

"Wow," She mumbled to herself. "These guys really suck at security-"

"Moira, behind you!"

A swift turn of her head revealed the snarling, zombified version of yet another guard sprinting at her. Quick thinking led the young Burton to yanking the knife out of it's place, then jumping out of the way before the infected could tackle her down. She took full of advantage of having it's back to her, as when it hit the wall, she wasted no time in charging at it and jamming the blade into it's skull. Blood splattered across her face, but Moira did not back off, keeping her hand on the handle to keep her opponent from being able to get her. Even with the brain being taken out with the knife, she did not want to take any chances. A final growl left the monster, it's arms flailing back, trying to reach for it's prey only to have them go limp, the rest of the body following suite as it slid it's way down the wall.

"..Well that was fucking close." She spat out along with the blood that tried to get into her mouth, raising her wrist to attempt to get the liquid off of her face. She scoffed as she just managed to smear the blood to the side. Deciding it wasn't worth it, she snatched the knife out from the infected's head, pulled on her shoulder bag and.. after a quick up and down of the body, widened her eyes at a discovery.

"Bingo!" Their luck was finally granting them freedom now, as with a simple reach of her hand, Moira took hold of the symbol of freedom known to her as the cell block's keys. The poor officer that ran out to help when things started getting hairy must've gotten bitten soon afterwards, and the resulting infected ran forward in search of it's next meal. It may have saved Moira the effort of having to find him, but damn was it sad..

She shook her head, freeing herself of the thought. She cannot afford to get caught up in her own emotions, they need to go!

"I got the fucking keys." She ran back to the door of her father's cell, fingers running through the ring for the right number printed on the keys. It wasn't long before she found the right one, but just as she was unlocking the cell, another surprise ran it's way into the room..

..This time, not in the form of an enemy, but of a friend; Claire. Gun at the ready, and only lowered at the sight of her family.. and at the scene before her. Two bodies on the floor, blood as well as signs of a fight in the cells where they were held, and the two Burtons left standing. She should have known they wouldn't let anything touch them without a fight.

"-Jesus, looks like I missed a hell of a party."

"Yeah, no goddamn kidding." Barry replied, stepping towards the door, ever eager to get the hell out of that cramped, makeshift room.

"Sorry you missed the fun." His daughter mumbled, turning her body to gesture at the bloodied mess that she and her father had turned into. Claire cringed for all of a moment, but felt relief at the fact that they had taken care of themselves. Moira, without another thought, pulled the lock open on the door.

Barry almost threw open the door upon hearing the sound the lock made, and the first thing he did was wrap his arms around his dear little girl. It was out of a parental instinct that he did this, after everything that happened in the past twenty four hours, he needed to be sure she was truly okay, and to have her safe with him helped him with that. She tried to resist the hug, but only found herself returning it with a relieved giggle, they were safe for now, so she had right to at least be a little happy. The second thing Barry did was grab Moira's face gently, just to look at the injuries she procured.

"Are you okay? Did it hit you?"

"Dad, I'm fine. I'm alright, I swear."

"..Of course, you are." He then playfully scoffed at his own antics. Happy she was safe, his usual joking attitude making an appearance purely out of a sudden spike of pride for her. "You really are a Burton."

"..Alright, enough with sentimental stuff, okay?" She waved his hands away from her face. Though his actions were very much appreciated, they needed to focus. "We gotta go, your shit's over there."

Barry nodded with a short sigh, turning in the direction she pointed him to so he could retrieve his stuff. He may have slipped up just a bit ago, but Moira was right, they could not afford to dwell on anything, even happiness. They needed to focus if they wanted to escape the new prison they found themselves in. The compound must be halfway filled up with infected by now, it may have been a short time, but infection, even through a bite, spreads fast, especially in a place with a ton of people in it.

"..I take it you two don't want to stay anymore?" Claire spoke up, her face not at all bothered by the words she said. She had her own plans of escape, she knew this place would not last long with everything going on, and had only come here to bust the two Burtons out, fully intending on aiding in their escape before heading straight to her brother to drag him out of there herself.

"..Fuck no." Moira answered in a breath. "I'm ready to get the hell out of here now.. fuck this place very much."

* * *

 **( Annnnnd there it is! Sorry to leave yall on another cliff hanger once again, but.. I think the length of this chapter will make up for it, dontcha think? ;D Anyway~ hope you all enjoyed. Please leave a review if you did! It would be lovely. Anyway, I'm fucking tired so I'll leave it at this. Hope you have an awesome week, everyone! )**


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